On Oct. 1, 2001—after more than a year of political instability stemming from a coup in May 2000, when Fiji’s Parliament was stormed by ethnic-Fijian armed nationalists—newly elected lawmakers were sworn in amid tight security. Though coup leader George Speight was elected to Parliament, he remained in prison on treason and firearms charges. His absence from proceedings prompted the Speaker of the House to vacate his seat.

Following general elections in August and September, in which Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase’s nationalist United Fiji Party won 32 seats and 26% of the vote and the Indian-dominated Fiji Labour Party (FLP) of former prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry won 27 seats and 34.8% of the vote, Qarase refused to follow a constitutional provision requiring representation in the cabinet for all parties securing 10% of the vote. Chaudhry challenged the Qarase government in court and awaited a decision. The government, stung by criticisms and the imposition of sanctions by traditional international partners, announced a foreign policy that would look more to East and Southeast Asia, especially in matters of trade. In recognition of Fiji’s return to democracy, the country was readmitted as a full member of the Commonwealth in December.

Though increased numbers of asylum-seeking Afghan and Iraqi refugees reached Australian waters via Indonesia, Fiji declined a request by Australia to establish a refugee-processing centre, owing to strong public sentiment against it. The gradual recovery of the economy, especially tourism, was challenged following the September terrorist attacks in the U.S.